


So Close (Was Waiting Here With You)

by Spacecadet72



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22583347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacecadet72/pseuds/Spacecadet72
Summary: Kristoff was happy with his life: he had a job, his own (small) apartment with his dog, Sven, and family nearby. He bumps into Anna one night, who claims she's from another world and needs help returning home. His help is reluctant at first but as he gets to know her more, he wonders if there was something he was missing.Enchanted AU.Completed. Posts Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.ETA: I had some computer issues and lost the last few chapters so there will be a delay.
Relationships: Anna/Kristoff (Disney)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so excited to finally be able to post this. I love Enchanted so much and love that I can finally do an Enchanted AU.
> 
> As a general warning, there is some violence in this story, but I wouldn't qualify it as graphic, but just be aware. I think the T rating is pretty accurate. I'll put warnings on those chapters with violence. 
> 
> There is also some conversation and inner thoughts questioning Anna's sanity due to her story of being a princess from another world. It's pretty in line with the movie, but wanted to post a warning just in case. 
> 
> Title comes from the Jon McLaughlin song So Close from Enchanted.

Princess Anna blinked awake, the early morning sun shining directly across her face. She groaned at such a wake up call and rolled over, burying her head under her pillow. It was much too early to be awake, and as she fell back into sleep, one thought found its way into her mind. The ball. 

Her eyes popped open. Her birthday ball was tonight! She threw the pillow and blankets off of her and stumbled out of bed, calling for a bath to be drawn. She was finally of age and the Queen, her sister Elsa, had said she would be allowed to attend more formal functions than in the past. 

Anna thought of the food, and the music and the dancing--she began humming to herself and danced out a small waltz formation with an imaginary partner. She could meet her true love tonight. In fact, the odds were high she would. Just because Elsa hadn't at her own ball, and was still unmarried, didn't mean Anna wouldn't meet someone tall and fair and swoon right into his strong arms. 

"Oh, it will just be so amazing, won't it?" she said, as Sarah, her maid, walked into her rooms to get the bath ready.

"Yes, my lady," Sarah said with an affectionate smile. 

Anna kept humming, even as Sarah left and she got into the tub. As she continued getting ready, this imaginary, but very potential, true love was all she could think about. He would be handsome, and have a lovely singing voice and the best taste in both chocolate and sandwiches, and of course, he would be a prince himself. Well, at the very least a duke, if not a prince. 

They had invited members from all the surrounding kingdoms, which were many, so that increased her odds even more of finding a love match. 

She was still humming to herself as she sat down at the breakfast table. Elsa, looking lovely in a light blue dress made from her magic, smiled at Anna softly. "Happy Birthday," she said as she waved one of her hands and shot ice magic in Anna's direction. A small music box formed from the ice, and as Anna opened it, it began playing the tune Anna was humming, a young woman who looked amazingly like Anna twirled within. 

"Oh, Elsa, thank you, it's beautiful!" she said, watching the little Anna twirl. 

Elsa tilted her head in acknowledgement of the thanks. "Are you excited for the ball tonight?"

Anna shut the music box after taking one last look and turned her attention back to her sister with an enthusiastic nod. "It's going to be amazing, I just know it. And what if I meet the one? I can't wait!" 

Elsa's smile dropped, a small frown forming on her lips. "You might not meet anyone tonight, and that's okay, Anna." 

Anna waved her hands and shook her head. "Of course, I know that, and I don't _need_ a man, but what if I do meet him?" her expression turned dreamy again as she pictured the imaginary man in question. 

"I just don't want you to be disappointed if you don't meet anyone. And to not rush into anything," Elsa said, stirring her tea slowly. 

"I won't, this ball is going to be fantastic." Anna said, missing the look of concern on Elsa's face. 

The day seemed to drag on, even as other gifts and events for her birthday came and went. Of course she wanted to open presents, and see the traveling troupe perform their play, and it was very nice, but it wasn't the _ball._

Finally, _finally,_ it was time to get ready. Anna usually got ready by herself when it was just a simple day dress and braids that the day called for, but when it was a ball, she had three maids helping her get ready. She envied Elsa slightly, who could just conjure up a beautiful dress and hairstyle with her magic. But even the time it took to get ready couldn't stop Anna from practically vibrating in her excitement. 

When the maids, only a little frustrated with her lack of ability to really stand still, released her to go, she ran to the door. Elsa was on the other side as she threw back the door. 

Elsa held out her arm, her smile warm and proud. "I thought I'd walk you in," she said taking in Anna's elaborately braided updo and pretty green ball gown. "You look lovely." 

Anna beamed and took Elsa's arm. "Thank you, so do you." 

Elsa put a hand on Anna's arm to calm her as they approached the door to the ballroom. Elsa motioned at the man standing at the door to announce them. 

"Her Majesty, Queen Elsa and her Highness, Princess Anna," the man called out, his voice deep and sure, and they were walking into the ballroom. Anna held her head high, like her tutors had told her, and scanned the room, seeing if anyone stood out. A tall, slender man with hair similar to hers caught her eye and she felt her breath catch. Could it be?

She had a partner every dance, and they were all lovely--with some notable exceptions--but there wasn't any spark, any sign that this was the man she was to love and marry. 

"May I cut in?"

Anna turned and there he was, the man she had seen earlier. He held out a hand, and he was the epitome of Prince Charming if she ever saw one. 

She turned to her current partner, an older Marquis from one of the northern kingdoms, who nodded graciously and stepped back. "Happy birthday, Princess," he said before bowing and walking away. 

"I'm sorry for that," the new man said, his hands feeling warm and secure in hers and against her waist, "but I couldn't wait a moment longer for a dance with you." 

Anna smiled at him in what she hoped was a coy look, but she could feel her cheeks burning. "I wouldn't have thought I was that exciting," she said, following him step for step. 

"Princess, you are enchanting," he said, pushing her out in a twirl. 

As she twirled back into him, she looked up at him and felt breathless. "I don't even know your name." 

"My apologies for my oversight," he said, pulling her closer into him. "I am Prince Hans from the Southern Isles." 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Prince Hans," she said, looking into his eyes and feeling like she could fall into them. "I'm Princess Anna. Of Arendelle."

Hans chuckled. "I know, and it's Hans, if you don't mind." 

Anna felt a swoon coming on. This had to be true love. "Hans." 

They danced the next two dances together, and then he suggested that they take a break on the balcony for some air. They talked for what seemed like hours and it felt like she'd known him her whole life. 

"I know this is ridiculous, but I feel something between us," Hans said, taking her hands in his. "Tell me I'm not the only one." 

Anna shook her head. "No, I've felt something too," she said. She was feeling a little light headed, from the dancing or the love, she wasn't sure. She hoped she wouldn't faint. 

"Walk with me?" he asked, pointing to the stairs leading to the garden. 

She nodded and slipped her arm in his. 

"I've longed for a connection like this," Anna said, her voice soft. "I love Elsa and it's great living at the palace with her, but I've been looking for something more with someone." 

"I know exactly what you mean," Hans said, stopping next to an elaborate well, and turning to face her. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but can I ask you something crazy?"

Anna nodded again, her smile wide. "I love crazy." 

His grin mirrored hers, although there was a nervous edge to it as he knelt on one knee at her feet. 

Anna's hands flew to her mouth. 

"Will you marry me?"

She couldn't believe this was happening and her smile was so wide, she felt it might just break her face in two. "Can I say something even crazier? Yes!" 

Hans was on his feet in an instant, his arms around her. "Oh, Anna," he said, as he pulled her into a hug. "You have made me the happiest man alive." 

"I'm so happy," she said, holding onto him tightly. They stepped back from each other, and Anna couldn't help spinning into a twirl. Her heart felt like it was going to burst from happiness. 

"Anna, be careful," Hans said, reaching out for her just as she stumbled against the low lip of the well. 

With a cry, she fell backwards and into the well. 

* * *

Elsa looked around the ballroom from the dais, wondering where Anna had gone off to. She had been so excited for the ball, but maybe she had just needed some air. She had been dancing every dance. Elsa shook her head slightly, smiling at the thought of her exuberant sister. She wouldn't have the energy for such, which was why she was standing and observing mostly, although she had danced a couple of dances with some friends from close by kingdoms. 

"Queen Elsa!" 

Elsa turned at the call, her heart plummeting to her stomach. That voice, whoever it was, sounded panicked, and Anna was nowhere to be seen. 

"Queen Elsa!" A man, she thought it might be one of the princes from the Southern Isles, came running up to her. 

"What is it?" she asked, rushing down the steps of the dais to meet him at the foot of it. 

He stopped in front of her, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. "It's Princess Anna."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna meets Kristoff.

Kristoff Bjorgman rolled his shoulders as he took off his hard hat and tool belt, got into his truck and pulled out of the parking lot. It had been a long shift on the scaffolds. The building was going up quickly and they were on track, but it was the middle of June, and the heat hadn't helped. He had been pouring with sweat by the time he left. He needed a shower and dinner and then all he wanted was to go to bed, he was beat. 

He groaned as he remembered that it had been a few days since he'd taken Sven for a walk, he'd been so tired from work. He couldn't put that off any longer or the dog would tear apart his apartment. 

Okay, new plan. Shower, dinner, walk Sven and then sleep. 

An hour later, he felt much better now that he was clean and fed. Sven jumped up excitedly as Kristoff held his leash in front of him. "Ready for a walk, huh, boy?"

Once he got Sven to stop wiggling so much, he clipped the leash on and was out the door.

* * *

Anna landed with a thud, not sure where she was. She had been with Hans, he had proposed and it was beautiful and everything she had ever imagined. But then she had stumbled and fallen into the well. 

It wasn't as wet as she would have thought it would be. And she felt weird, and different somehow. Where she was, there seemed to be a part of the wall (or ceiling? everything seemed upside down) that looked like it might move if she pushed it. She could see light and hear noise through the holes in this section of the wall. She looked back where she had come, but all she could hear was darkness. Maybe through this hole, someone would know how to get back to the palace, back to her sister and her true love. 

Even unsure of where she was or how to get home, she felt warm at the thought of Hans. Soon they would start their lives together and it would be absolutely perfect. 

But first she had to get home. She squared her shoulders and put her hands on the moveable section. She could do this. She took in a deep breath and pushed. It moved, and she couldn't help but smile at that. She was able to push it up and away and then she was looking at the sky. The very bright, very busy and confusing sky. She climbed out of the hole and with her feet on solid ground, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. 

Now she just had to find someone to tell her how--

_ BEEP _

Anna turned at the noise and saw some sort of large carriage barreling towards her. With a cry of surprise and fear, she scurried to the side of the road as several more of these carriages, somehow moving without horses, sped towards her. She stepped up onto the busy sidewalk. There were people going in different directions, moving quickly, heads down, looking at small devices in their hands. They were all wearing very strange clothes. Many of them, men and women both, were wearing strange trousers and jackets and even the dresses some of the women wore were very strange. Nothing she or Elsa would be allowed to wear out of the palace, she knew that for sure. 

Her wide skirt, while not as full as some of the royalty invited to the ball, was still wider than anything she saw anyone else wearing and made moving down the sidewalk difficult. If this was Arendelle, it didn't look like anywhere she had been. 

"Excuse me," she said to a woman near her, "I need--" 

"I'm not interested," the woman said, not looking at her as she hurried by. 

Anna's brow furrowed in anger. Well, there was no need to be rude. She tried to push down her anger and turned to a gentleman walking past her. "Excuse me," she started, reaching out a hand to lay on his arm. 

He shook her hand off and moved off as quickly as the woman, not even saying anything to her. 

She tried it again and again, hoping that someone would be able to help her. 

No one. No one stopped to talk to her. Forget that she was royalty, this wasn't a way to treat anyone. She began walking, hoping something would look familiar. She didn't think she could be too far, unless magic was involved. That was certainly possible. Magic wasn't very common, but Elsa was proof it existed. Was this the plot of some evil wizard? Maybe from a kingdom wanting to take over Arendelle? 

Anna took in a deep breath. Well, she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of success. She would find her way home to Elsa and Hans and together they would defeat whoever this was. 

* * *

Kristoff had been planning on a short walk so he could get back sooner, but Sven had so much energy, he knew he wasn't getting away with anything but a long walk and accepted his fate with a sigh. He let Sven decide the route, which tended to wear him out faster, and knew he could find his way back easily. 

"Excuse me." 

He turned and saw a young woman, around his age, wearing what looked like a dress from the 1800s, her hair up in some elaborate braided bun. 

"What kind of convention are you dressed up for?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. He hadn't really meant to engage. It was clear she was going to ask him for money for some organization, probably historical restoration or something and he didn't really have the money to spare right now. 

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking confused. 

Okay, maybe he was wrong. But she had to belong to some kind of historical or cosplay group. He sighed. He'd responded, he probably couldn't get out of the spiel now without being really rude. He was tired enough that he didn't really care, but he could hear his ma's voice in the back of his mind and she cared, so he stayed where he was. 

"Okay, whatever you're asking for, let's hear it," he said, gesturing towards her in a 'get on it with it', kind of movement. 

"Oh, sir, you're the first person to listen to me tonight," she said, and she actually started tearing up. "This isn't a very welcoming place." 

He chuckled. "Yeah, well, welcome to New York." 

"Where?" she asked, her eyes wide, and yeah, she was definitely going to start crying soon. 

"Aren't you asking for money for a charity?" he asked, involuntarily taking a step back. 

She shook her head. "No, I need to get back home, but I don't know how I'll ever get back to the palace, and my sister, and fiance will be so worried." 

_ Okay. _ This woman clearly needed help, and he really didn't want to get involved. Sven woofed happily and nudged his nose into the woman's hand. She looked down at Sven and let out a watery laugh. "Your dog is so cute, what's his name?"

"Sven," Kristoff said, trying to figure out how to extract himself from the conversation. 

His phone rang. He glanced at the screen. His mother's face looked out at him, and he let out a prayer to the universe of thanks. He could use this to get on his way. "I've got to take this," he said, gesturing to his phone. 

"Take what?" she asked, looking at his phone like she had never seen anything like it before. 

Kristoff shook his head. "Just a second," he said as he answered the call. "Hey, Ma." 

"Hey, baby," she said, sounding like she was in the middle of baking something, he could hear the kitchen aid going. "What's up?"

"Nothing, just on a walk and ran into someone," he said, taking a few steps away, but keeping a firm hold on Sven's leash. 

"Oh, like a friend? Or  _ someone _ ?" He could practically hear her eyebrows waggling through the phone. 

Kristoff snorted out a laugh. "No, a stranger. She's wearing an old timey dress and asking for help getting back home." 

"Well, I should let you go so you can help her." 

Kristoff shook his head even as he realized she couldn't see it. “Ma, listen. I think,” he lowered his voice and glanced over at Anna who seemed engrossed with playing with Sven. “I think there might be something not quite right with her. She says she needs to get back to her sister and fiance at some palace.”

“Kristoff, you can’t just leave her to stay out at night by herself, I thought I raised you better than that.”

“So you think she should stay with me?" he asked, trying to stop his voice from raising in volume. He had to work in just a few short hours and he couldn’t believe this was something he actually had to deal with. "I thought I'd drop her off somewhere.”

“Kristoff, those places often aren't very nice for people. You can't just leave her somewhere. And you’re right, she might be scared of you, you’re kind of grumpy. And big.”

Kristoff glanced back at Anna. She didn’t seem scared. “I’m not that grumpy.” But his mother was right. He was a strange man, who could certainly do her harm if he wanted to. He wouldn’t hurt her of course, but she had no way to know that for sure.

“Have her come stay with us.”

Kristoff’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious, what about the kids?”

He could practically see his mother’s expression as she made a dismissive noise. “She can take the big couch in the living room, and I’ll take the other one. You know I’m up at the slightest noise. If she really is up to no good--which I doubt from what you’ve told me--I’ll be there.”

Kristoff considered it. His mother certainly could hold her own and Anna wouldn’t be able to get up without Bulda hearing it.

“Alright, I’ll bring her over, but let me stay there too, just in case.” His parents' house was closer to work anyway. “I’ll bring Sven too.”

Kristoff could just hear his father in the background asking who his mother was talking to. “It’s Kristoff,” she called back, “he’s bringing a girl over.”

“Ma,” he said, slapping a hand to his face. “I’m not ‘bringing a girl over’. We’re helping someone who needs it, that’s all.” 

"I'll let you go, so you can get everything ready to come over," she said sounding much too excited about this. And then she hung up. 

Kristoff looked at the phone, feeling defeated. He turned back to the woman. "Okay, where do you need to go?"

"The palace." she said, as if that made any sense at all. 

He sighed. "Yeah, I know, you said that. What palace?" Maybe it was a hotel somewhere? Or some older, historical building with a charming name?

She looked at him as if he was the weird one. "The palace of Arendelle. I'm the princess." 

Kristoff closed his eyes briefly. He really did not have time to deal with this. Sven nudged his hand, looking happy before running back over to Anna. At least Sven liked her. And his mother was right, she wouldn't last one night in the city. Especially not in that dress. Even in the summer, it would get cooler and the city wasn't safe any time of the year. 

"Alright, well, we won't be able to get to the palace tonight, but you can stay with my family if you want. It won't be safe for you to stay out here all night." 

"You would do that?" she asked, looking relieved. 

He nodded, uncomfortable with her gratitude. "Yeah, well, it was my ma's idea. You'd be staying with my parents." 

"What about you? Do you not live with them?" she asked, following as he started walking back to his apartment. 

He shook his head. "Nah, I've got my own place, but I thought you wouldn't want to stay with just me, so we're all going over there." 

"Thank you, so much," she said, slipping her arm into his crooked elbow. He looked down at her hand for a moment with a sigh, but figured it wasn't the weirdest thing she had said or done. And he didn't want to upset her. 

"No problem--" he said, realizing he didn't even know her name. "What's your name?"

"Princess Anna of Arendelle, but just Anna is fine," she said, looking up at him with a smile. 

Right. Princess. "I'm Kristoff. And you already know Sven," he said, pointing at the dog. He was pretty sure he was going to regret this, but there was something in the back of his mind that told him this was the right thing. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa and Hans go after Anna.

Elsa leaned carefully over the well, looking into the darkness that seemed to go on forever. Anna had fallen in, and there was no knowing where she had ended up.

She turned to her steward, Kai, her expression resolute. "I'm going after her. Please cancel my meetings for the foreseeable future, I'm not sure how long this will take."

Hans moved himself in front of Elsa. "Your majesty, with all due respect, it really should be me going."

"Absolutely not," she said, barely sparing him a glance. She turned her attention back to Kai. "I'm going to pack, but I will be leaving within the hour."

"Your majesty, why--"

She turned back to Hans, and pushed down her worry and impatience. "I don't know you, and I will not be leaving my sister's well being in the hands of a stranger. Besides, I have my powers to protect me. You don't."

"I love her," he said, imploringly.

Elsa shook her head. "You met her two hours ago. I don't think you do."

"Please, let me go with you."

She turned back to Hans and gave him an assessing look. This was wasting time. "Fine, but you can't slow me down."

"I won't, I promise," he said, standing up straight and giving her a nod.

Elsa nodded back, but there was something about him that didn't sit quite right with her. Aside from the fact that he proposed to her sister the night they met, his reactions were too controlled, too well mannered.

"Be ready to go within the hour," she said, before walking back towards the castle. She had no idea what to expect, and if she was leaving her kingdom, only to leave it leaderless if they didn't return.

"Kai," she said, turning to him, knowing he was somewhere behind her.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" he asked, moving to walk beside her.

Elsa took in a deep breath. "I don't know what we'll be facing here. If we don't return, please be sure our cousin is ready to rule. I will not leave Arendelle without a ruler if we don't make it."

Kai looked somber at this pronouncement, but nodded. "I will make the preparations. Just in case. But, Your Majesty," here, he faltered slightly. Kai had been with their family for as long as Elsa could remember, and really, he was part of the family. "I believe you will find Princess Anna and return, both of you well."

Elsa couldn't push down the soft smile that spread across her lips at this and placed her hand on his arm. "Thank you for that, Kai. I appreciate your vote of confidence." Remembering her task and how much time had already passed, she straightened her back and kept walking. "Please make sure Prince Hans is ready to go, and make sure he knows that I will not wait for him if he is not ready in time."

Kai nodded and walked off in the other direction to check on Prince Hans.

Elsa continued the walk to her chambers alone. She knew the odds of something going terribly wrong were at least likely if not high, but she couldn't leave her sister to whatever fate she had gone to through the well.

That was another thing that bothered her. How long had the well had magical properties? It had never shown to be so before, and as far as Elsa knew, she was the only magic user in the area. Was this a sign of a greater threat to their kingdom? If there was another magic user, she would have hoped to be able to form an alliance if not a friendship. She wouldn't let down her guard down until she had more information. More information and Anna safely by her side.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Hans asked quietly, as they stood at the edge of the well. Both of them had changed out of their ball attire and were wearing simple traveling clothes. Elsa had transformed her outfit to include trousers instead of a skirt. They both had packs filled with provisions and other supplies.

Elsa gave him a hard look. "I am not leaving my sister to an uncertain fate. I will find her and bring her back safely."

Hans held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I never meant to insinuate you didn't care about your sister. But no one would fault you for sending guards instead."

Elsa shook her head. "I am going to find my sister."

Hans nodded. "And I will do what I can to help."

Hans held out a gloved hand for Elsa to take. She eyed it for a moment before setting her hand in his. She made sure he could feel the cold through his gloves. Not enough to harm him, but enough to remind him what she was capable of.

"On three," Elsa said, taking in a deep breath. "One....two....three."

They jumped, and then they were falling. And falling, the darkness around them complete. She could hardly seen Hans and he was falling right next to her. She held in a scream, just barely, but she wasn't sure if that was from terror too large to voice, or her own control.

"Oof." Elsa let out a breath as they finally hit something solid. She put her hands against whatever they had landed on, and something shifted slightly. Somewhere in the fall, she had let go of Hans' hand, and couldn't find that she minded much. She felt over the piece she had managed to shift, and pushed, feeling it give under her hands. It gave fairly easily, she wouldn't need to use her powers to move it.

She pushed up and the area was flooded with light. She blinked at the brightness and pushed herself up through the hole, only remembering at the last second to see if Hans was behind her. He was, and she didn't give him a hand up.

She found herself surrounded by men in strange outfits with hard looking yellow hats.

"Gentleman," she said, addressing the group, "I am looking for my sister. She has red hair and would have been wearing a green dress."

The men's eyes moved between her and Hans before looking at each other. "We did get reports of a woman in a green historical dress. Where are you guys coming from? Is this some kind of Dungeons and Dragons thing?" The one directly in front of Elsa spoke, and he seemed to be the leader, so she addressed him next.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I must find my sister before she gets hurt. Do you have any idea where she may have gone?"

The man shook his head. "Sorry, lady, she disappeared into the crowd. She could be anywhere in the city."

"This is Queen Elsa of Arendelle and you will address her as such," Hans said, moving in front of Elsa to gesture firmly at the leader.

Elsa bit back a frustrated sigh and pushed Hans' arm down. "There's no need for that, Prince Hans. I'm not Queen here, and I'm just looking to find Anna." She turned back to the other man. "Thank you for your time." She looked around at her surroundings. They seemed to be on a roadway, where many strange horseless carriages were crossing. Turning behind her, she saw they were next to a sidewalk and started walking that way.

She turned her head to look at Hans as as they walked. "While I appreciate the thought, in the future, please refrain from coming to my defense. We don't need people knowing who we are here. It will be best to keep a low profile."

Hans nodded. "I apologize, I just thought his tone was not very respectful."

Elsa shrugged. "We're in a different world now, one that even looks strange," she said, looking down at her hand and how it didn't look like her hand anymore. "We can't expect the rules to be the same."

Hans looked like he wanted to say something more, but remained silent and only nodded.

"We need to find lodging, which could be tricky as our currency probably won't work here." She looked around at the large, brightly lit pictures that moved, all around them. She had known wherever she was going would prove a difficult journey and search for her sister, but she hadn't imagined this.

Hans remained silent still, and while he had come across as largely polite and well mannered, she hadn't thought he was a particularly quiet person. "Do you have any ideas?" she asked, turning to look at him, but when she looked behind her, he wasn't there.

"Hans?" she called out, turning in a circle to see where he had gone. Had they merely gotten separated, or had he snuck away on purpose, not wanting to be traveling with a Queen who didn't trust him? She continued to look all around, calling his name a few more times, but he was gone.

She let out a groan of frustration. How had they gotten separated already? Anna wouldn't be very happy to know her fiance was missing, but Elsa couldn't worry about that now. She had to find her sister first. Hans could wait.

Everyone around her was looking at small, rectangular devices in their hands, and she suspected they wouldn't be very cooperative if she tried talking to them. Hoping that blending in would be her best option, she relaxed her shoulders and copied the loose posture of everyone around her. She then picked a direction and started walking, keeping an eye out for anything that would help her find Anna.

* * *

Hans watched Elsa from behind an alley wall as she walked away from him. He was glad that he had been able to get away from her so quickly. Good. Now he could perform his own search, without Elsa to get in the way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna meets Kristoff's parents and gets settled.

Kristoff still couldn't believe he was doing this, as he unlocked the truck door so this girl--Anna--could get in so he could take her to his parents' house. What even was he doing taking a stranger to stay with his family? She didn't look dangerous, but that didn't mean anything. 

Which was why his ma was sleeping on the other couch, and he would be staying in his old room until she left. Between the two of them and his dad, she wouldn't be able to hurt his family, if she wanted to. And looking at her wide smile and freckled nose, it was hard to think she might be violent. She didn't look like a criminal. But he had lived in this city long enough to know that looks could certainly be deceiving. 

"How many siblings do you have?" Anna asked, petting Sven absently as she looked over at him. 

He glanced over at her, but turned his attention back to the road. "My parents' have been fostering since before I joined the family, but currently there are seven kids at home--three foster kids and four are my sister's kids.”

"I wish I had that many siblings," she said, sounding envious. "I only have my sister, Elsa. And she's great, of course, but it's just her and she's so busy as Queen, that I'm alone a lot. I bet it's so much fun at your parents' house." 

Kristoff tried to ignore the Queen comment, and smiled at the thought of the absolute chaos his siblings could get up to. "It's never a quiet day at their house, that's for sure." 

“Hans has twelve brothers, I’ve always wondered what that kind of family would be like.” she said, sounding contemplative. 

“Hans?” he asked, trying to remember if she’d mentioned him before. “Is that your fiance?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I couldn’t believe it when I met him that he might like me, but then he proposed and it was so beautiful. Right before I fell in the well, of course. That part wasn’t so great.” 

“How did you meet?” Kristoff asked, trying to be polite since she seemed like she wanted to talk.

"At the ball tonight,” she said, a dreamy look in her eyes. 

His eyes widened. “Tonight? You met him _Tonight?_ ” 

“Yes, that’s what I said,” she said, looking at him like he wasn’t listening. 

“And you’re engaged?” he asked, trying not to let his voice rise in volume. What kind of person got engaged to someone they just met?

She nodded. “It was a beautiful proposal really, we were in the garden and the moon was full…” 

“And it wasn’t like an arranged, political thing?” Kristoff asked, still incredulous. He didn’t really believe this girl was a princess, but maybe there was a better explanation for her getting engaged to someone she had just met a few hours ago.

She shook her head. “No, it’s true love.” 

Kristoff snorted. 

She looked at him with a frown. “It is.” she said, sounding insulted. “Do you not believe in true love?”

“Not really,” he said with a shrug, “but certainly not that fast." What his parents had might have counted as true love, but they had dated for a year before getting engaged. And had been friends long before that.

“I still can’t believe you said yes to the marriage proposal from a man you just met.” Kristoff said, his tone disbelieving. 

Anna folded her arms, her frown deepening. “I can’t believe I’m being helped by someone who doesn’t believe in true love.” 

“I never said that,” he said. “Not believing you should get engaged to a man you met that day is not the same as not believing in love.” 

“Well, it’s true love, and we don’t need your permission,” she said, sounding as stubborn as his ma.

Kristoff suppressed a sigh and shrugged again. “I never said you did.” 

They fell into silence, and they both kept to their own thoughts for the next several minutes. He was perfectly fine with that. 

Anna bit her lip as she broke the quiet, “You're sure it's okay that I'm staying there?"

_No_. Kristoff hesitated for only a moment. "My ma wouldn't have invited you if she wasn't sure," was what he finally settled on. If it was up to him, she wouldn't be staying there, but he had learned long ago that when his ma got an idea in her head, there was no getting past it. 

"She sounds nice," Anna said with a wistful sigh.

"She is," Kristooff said with a soft smile he couldn't help. He wanted to ask about her folks, but if she was wandering the streets with nonsense about being a princess, he guessed they weren't in the picture. 

"My parents' died a few years ago," she said quietly, not looking at him. 

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," he said, not sure what else to say. What did you say to that?

She shrugged. "It's okay. It's been a while, and I have Elsa, but I'm glad you have good parents." 

"You haven't even met them," he said with a little shake of his head. 

"They wouldn't have taken me in if they hadn't been good," she said with a smile. 

He shook his head again. "Sometimes people do good things for bad reasons." As much as he didn't know this woman, she was clearly vulnerable and he didn't want her getting hurt. Who else might she have gone with if he hadn't come along? And she didn't know for sure that he and his family weren't secretly taking her in for their own nefarious reasons. What kind of woman goes off with strangers? _A desperate one_ , his mind supplied and he could only feel pity for her. Well. Annoyance and pity. 

Anna twisted her hands in her lap. "That's true, I guess, but I like to think people are mostly good." 

Kristoff barked out a humorless laugh. "I'm not sure where you're from that you think that, but I haven't found that to be the case." 

A frown tugged at her lips. "In Arendelle that is certainly the case. We have a few criminals, certainly, but most of the people are good and kind."

"Well, Arendelle sounds a lot nicer than New York," he said dryly as he pulled up to his parents' place. "We're here," he said, parking the truck and turning it off. He helped her out of the car and gathered his things, and with a deep breath, walked them up to the house. 

"We're here," he called out as he entered with his key. 

"Kristoff's back!" Kristoff smiled as he heard feet pounding down the stairs and then his siblings and nieces and nephews were flying towards him. 

"Ooof," he said, as one of the older boys threw himself into Kristoff's arms. "I think you're getting a little too big to be throwing yourself at people, Jordan." 

Jordan just laughed and jumped down. "Who's this?"

"A friend of Kristoff who's going to stay with us for a while," Kristoff's ma said coming in from the kitchen. The kids just looked at Anna curiously, taking in her dress and fancy hairdo, and began asking questions all at once. 

"Okay," Kristoff said, pushing in between Anna and the kids. "I know you're curious, but she's probably tired."

"Why don't you guys go play while we talk for a minute?" his dad said as he came into the room. The kids looked disappointed but knew when they were expected to listen and ran back upstairs. "Sorry if that scared you dear, they're just excited to meet new people." 

Anna shook her head, smiling brightly. "No, it's okay. I think it's wonderful. I only have my sister Elsa, I love big families." 

His ma looked at her and Kristoff could see her reading the truth behind that statement. "And where's your sister? Can we call her?"

"Ma? Can we talk for a minute?" Kristoff said before Anna could answer. He hadn't had a chance to brief his parents and didn't want Anna's delusions to catch them off guard. 

"Not now, Kristoff, Anna and I are talking." She gestured for Anna to continue as Kristoff sighed. 

"I'm not exactly sure how I got here, but I was at my birthday ball back in Arendelle, and then while I was out in the garden with Prince Hans, who had just proposed, and then I fell into the well and ended up here." 

His parents just blinked at her for a moment. Kristoff fought the urge to bury his head in his hands. This was why he wanted to talk to them first. 

"I'm sorry that you're so far from home," his ma said after she collected herself. "But happy birthday, honey. How old are you?"

Anna's answering smile was a bit watery and Kristoff hoped she wasn’t going to start crying again. "I'm eighteen," she said, sounding happy about that, if nothing else. 

Kristoff's eyes widened. He'd known she was young, and really, she was only a couple of years younger than him, but still eighteen seemed so young to have this kind of life. 

"That's such an exciting age," his ma said, leading her towards the kitchen. 

"Have you eaten yet, dear?"

Anna shook her head. 

"Well, why don't we get some dinner and then I'll whip up a cake so we can celebrate. I know you're away from your sister and fiance and friends, but we can at least have a little something here." 

Tears rolled down Anna's cheeks and she sniffled as she wiped at them. "Thank you so much. I can't believe how nice you're being." 

She turned back to Kristoff. "I told you people were good." 

"It's three people," Kristoff said as he followed along behind them. "That's not exactly a majority." 

"Oh, ignore him," his ma said, waving a hand in his direction. "He's just grumpy sometimes." 

"But nice underneath it all," Anna said, turning to flash a smile in his direction. 

Kristoff rolled his eyes and fought off a blush. Compliments aside, she was still naive. 

Later that night, he stood at the edge of the living room as his ma got both couches ready for sleeping. 

"Can I help?" Anna asked, looking so tiny in the pajamas they had lent her. 

His ma shook her head. "No, dear, I'm almost done. But thank you for asking." 

Anna beamed at her and Kristoff waited for a moment to insert himself into the conversation. 

"I'm going to go to bed," he said, gesturing upstairs, "unless you need anything before I go." 

"I'm good," his ma said, before turning to Anna. "What about you dear? Can Kristoff do anything for you before he goes off to bed?"

He suppressed a groan. She better not be trying to set anything up. She was constantly bemoaning the fact that he was single and not giving her grandchildren. _You have ten grandchildren already_ , he would remind her and ignore whatever hint she was trying to drop. 

Anna shook her head, not showing any indication of noticing an ulterior motive in the question. 

"I'm fine, but thank you. Have a good night." 

He wished them both good night and walked upstairs. Since he lived in the city, really only ten or fifteen minutes away, it had been a while since he had last slept over at his parents' house. The last time was probably Christmas Eve, when the kids had insisted he stay. They had camped out underneath the tree, sleeping bags and air mattresses spread out all over the living room and kitchen. 

It was odd to be home, but he knew he didn't want to go back to his apartment with a stranger under their roof. Just in case. 

He found it difficult to fall asleep, as everything that had happened in the last few hours swirled around in his head. What had he gotten himself into?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna meets Honeymaren and Ryder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some light sexism in this chapter, at the construction site.

Kristoff groaned into his pillow as his alarm went off much earlier than he wanted. It took him a moment to remember why he wasn't in his own bed, as he took in his old room at his parents' house.

_Anna_. He'd been up much later than he usually would be before an early shift making sure she was settled and that nothing went wrong with bringing a stranger into his parents' house.

He got ready quietly, not wanting to wake anyone up. As he crept to the bottom of the stairs, he noticed his ma sitting at the kitchen table, a coffee cup in her hands. He glanced over to the living room where Anna was still asleep, hair wild, limbs thrown every which way and completely dead to the world.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked, his voice a murmur as he poured himself a cup.

She shook her head and looked up at him with a smile. "No, honey, I was up anyway." She nodded her head in Anna's direction. "She's a restless sleeper, but I don't think she'll wake up for anything."

He followed her gesture to watch as Anna shifted and mumbled something in her sleep. He grunted his agreement into his coffee cup as he took a sip.

"When will you be home?" she asked as he finished his coffee.

"Around four thirty," he said, looking down at her in concern. "Are you sure it's alright for her to be here? I know you've got stuff to do today."

She shrugged. "Not too much, and it's all errands, I can take her with me."

"What do you think is wrong with her?" Kristoff asked slowly after a stretch of silence. He needed to leave for work soon, but there was something about talking with his mother in the quiet of the kitchen before anyone was up that made him want to linger.

His ma looked over at Anna, a thoughtful look on her face. "I'm not sure. Other than the fact that she thinks she came from another world, she seems completely fine. It worries me about what might have happened to her that this is the way she copes. And that dress was well made and clearly came from somewhere. There's pieces of this story we don't have."

Kristoff looked at her sharply. "You don't think she's actually a princess?"

She shrugged. "Not really, but who's to say that there aren't parts of the universe we don't understand? Maybe she really fell through a well into our world."

"Ma." His tone was flat and disbelieving.

She waved him off. "Oh, I think there's part of this story we don't understand, but we can't dismiss it off hand either."

He grunted again, finishing the last of his coffee to avoid having to answer. It couldn't be true, could it?

* * *

It was another hot day, but they were able to get a lot of work done before the sun became scorching. But soon enough, it was high in the sky and beating down on them as they attached siding.

There were people talking on the sidewalk next to the construction site, but Kristoff paid them no mind as he focused on his work. He only had a few hours left of his shift, and he would be glad to be done with work for the day.

After they had put the next piece of siding in place, he glanced down at the sidewalk, and let out a sigh at the sight of his ma and Anna standing on the sidewalk looking up at him. Seeing him look their way, they both waved at him, smiles wide. She wasn't wearing the ball gown, thankfully, and it looked like his ma had lent her some of his older sister's clothes to wear from back when she used to live with them.

"Got visitors, Bjorgman?" one of the other guys, John, asked, a teasing grin on his face.

Kristoff kept his response light, not wanting to make the guys think he was bothered by it. "They're probably just walking by and wanted to say hi," he said, giving them a quick wave.

"Ah, do you need your mom to bring your lunch?" another guy, Bruce, asked with a laugh, and Kristoff flashed him a rude gesture, making sure to hide it from where his ma and Anna could see.

"Who’s the other one?" John asked, sounding appreciative as he looked at Anna.

A flash of protectiveness rose up in Kristoff and he pushed it back. John hadn't said anything horrible yet and he didn't want to make Anna more of a target by getting too worked up about it.

Kristoff shrugged, keeping his voice casual. "Just a friend staying with my parents."

"Just a friend, huh?" Bruce said, letting out a whistle. "Are you sure you don't want a piece of that, Bjorgman?"

Kristoff pushed down a sigh. He didn't mind the rough talk of the workers, but he wasn't a fan of the crude way they talked about women. Usually he just ignored it, it was a part of every construction site, but he wasn't getting out of this conversation anytime soon. "She's just a friend." he repeated, glancing back at where his ma and Anna were talking, throwing him looks every now and then.

"You think she'd go out with me?" John asked with a laugh.

"She's out of your league," Kristoff said his voice teasing, but there was a tension in his muscles that hadn't been there before.

"Well, if she's out of my league, she's definitely out of yours," John threw back.

"I never said she wasn't," Kristoff said easily, but already tiring of the conversation, even it was going much better than he would have expected. "She's just a friend."

"What a waste, a woman like that being just a friend," Bruce said and Kristoff had to remind himself that punching a fellow worker was a good way to get himself fired.

"You only think that because no woman would be friends with you, Bruce," Kristoff said forcing his words to stay light.

Bruce laughed, and John joined in on the teasing, but Kristoff snuck a glance at the sidewalk and was relieved to see that it was empty.

* * *

Several long hours later, Kristoff walked in through the door of his parents' house, his muscles aching, his clothes stiff with dried sweat. He called out that he was home and began heading upstairs for the bathroom.

He needed a shower, badly. Besides needing to get clean, he hoped that the hot water would help bring up his mood. Bruce and John had kept up the teasing well past Kristoff's patience and he needed to be in a better mood before he faced anyone. Especially Anna.

He took a long shower, and he knew it was partly because he was avoiding going downstairs. It was still so awkward around Anna. He wasn't sure what to say to her, and he still had no idea what they were going to do to help aside from having her stay, or how long that arrangement would last.

After putting it off as long as he could, he left the bathroom and walked downstairs. His phone began ringing then, and he knew by the ringtone that it was his friend Ryder. Not because he set specific ringtones for people, but because Ryder had chosen his own ringtone and Kristoff had never bothered to change it back.

He swiped to accept the call and brought the phone to his ear. "Hey, Ryder."

"Where are you?" his friend asked, and he could hear talking in the background.

Kristoff groaned. He was supposed to be meeting Ryder and his sister Honeymaren for dinner tonight after work and had completely forgotten. "I'm so sorry, Ryder, it's been a little crazy around here, and I forgot."

"What's going on?" Ryder asked, sounding curious now. Kristoff let out a sigh, not sure of where to start.

"Is that Ryder?"

Kristoff looked up to see his ma looking at him with a questioning look. "I was supposed to meet him and Honeymaren for dinner,” he explained, shifting the phone away from his mouth.

He could hear Ryder asking more questions on the line and ignored him for a moment.

"Well, you should go," she said, glancing at her watch. "You don't want to be any later."

His brow furrowed in concern. "What about..." he trailed off, eyes glancing in the direction of the kitchen, where he could hear Anna talking to one of his nephews.

His ma thought about it for a moment. "Why don't you take her with you? It would be good for her to meet Ryder and Honeymaren. She's only had me and the kids for company all day."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kristoff asked, thinking of all the ways this could go wrong.

His ma nodded. "If she wants to go, you should take her."

Kristoff sighed. "Alright, if you're sure." He turned his attention back to Ryder, who hadn't stopped asking questions. "I'll be there soon," he said, wondering if this was the worst idea. "But there's something you should know first..."

Soon enough, he and Anna were back in the truck.

"Thank you for inviting me," Anna said, her smile wide, her legs bouncing up and down in excitement.

"No problem," Kristoff said, as he pulled away from the house. "Honeymaren and Ryder are really nice. I think you'll like them."

"Do you think they'll like me?" Anna asked, biting her lip.

Kristoff felt like he took too long to respond, but went with "Of course," after a few long moments of awkward silence.

Anna seemed to notice the hesitation, but didn't mention it. "How long have you known them?"

"Since high school. Honeymaren and I were in the same grade and in a lot of the same classes, and her brother's only a couple years younger, so we saw each other a lot."

Anna nodded, looking thoughtful. "How old are you in high school?"

Kristoff had almost forgotten while talking to her that there was anything wrong. "Fourteen through eighteen. I only graduated a couple of years ago."

Anna nodded. "We have schooling, but not like here. Your mother was telling me about the school for the younger children. I think it's wonderful. I had to learn from stuffy old tutors. By myself, or just with Elsa."

Kristoff nodded. How much of this held truth to it, and how much was delusion? Her dress had been well made. Maybe she came from money and went to a private school. And wealthy parents could afford tutors for their children to supplement their schooling. The emotion behind the story certainly seemed real. Her childhood had been lonely, and for one as sociable and energetic as Anna, that couldn't have been easy.

He couldn't say he had enjoyed his time in public school, especially since the one he attended hadn’t been well funded, but he could understand how being with her peers would have been a better option for Anna, if that's how her growing up had been.

"I'm sorry," Kristoff said simply, not sure what else to say.

Anna shrugged and gave him a bright smile. "It's alright, it wasn't really that bad."

Kristoff nodded. The rest of the ride was silent, Kristoff wondering how this lunch was going to go. Ryder and Honeymaren were nice, welcoming people, but Anna was a bit of an unknown and he hoped this wasn't going to be a disaster.

He glanced over at Anna and noticed her chewing her bottom lip, her eyebrows pulled down in worry. He cleared his throat and she glanced up at him. "Ryder and Honeymaren are excited to meet you," he said, not sure that was the truth. What Ryder had said was first a loud " _Wow_ ," followed immediately by, " _Of course, you should bring her along._ "

Anna stopped biting her lip. "Really?" she asked, her voice small.

He nodded. "Yeah, and they're super nice."

"I'm glad to hear that," Anna said with a relieved smile. "Not that I thought friends of yours weren't nice, of course, but I just wasn't sure what they were like, and I was kind of nervous, but I'm glad to hear they're nice."

Kristoff couldn't help the small smile that bloomed on his lips at her rambling. She did it when she was nervous, the words spilling out of her like she couldn't keep them in any longer. It was awkward, but endearing.

He pulled into the parking lot of the small burger joint they were meeting Ryder and Honeymaren at, and turned to Anna. "Do you like burgers?" he asked, conversationally as he turned off the truck and unbuckled his seat belt. He really should have asked before.

She looked at him with wide eyes. "I've never had one."

His eyebrows rose at that. "Never had a burger?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. What is it? Maybe we have it in Arendelle, but with a different name."

Kristoff thought of a world where you couldn't get a burger. He wasn't sure he would want to live there. "It's a patty of seasoned ground beef, on a bun. You usually put other things on it, like lettuce and tomato and onions and cheese and condiments if you want, but there's a bunch of different kinds. Especially at a place like this," he said, gesturing to the large sign that said _Joe's Burgers_ in red above the restaurant.

She followed his gaze to the sign. "I've never had that, but it sounds delicious. I can't wait to try one."

Kristoff nodded, and got out of the truck, his nerves returning. _Please let this go well_.

They walked into the restaurant, moving to the back where Ryder was waving his arm to get their attention. Ryder and Honeymaren were sitting on opposite sides of the booth, so Kristoff sat next to Ryder, leaving the seat next to Honeymaren open for Anna. He figured she would be the sibling less likely to make Anna nervous.

"I'm Honeymaren," she said, turning to Anna with a warm smile. "You're visiting Kristoff's family?"

Anna nodded. "His parents are letting me stay while I figure out how to get home," she said, looking relieved that Kristoff had told the truth about them being nice. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Anna."

Honeymaren smiled again and nodded at her brother. "That's Ryder, my brother," she said as Ryder waved at Anna before looking back over the menu. Everyone else started looking at their menus as well, and Anna opened hers.

After a moment, Kristoff felt something hit his foot and he looked up to see Anna looking at him with a questioning look on her face. "I'm not sure what to get," she said, keeping her voice low as she glanced back over the menu. "What are you getting?"

Before Kristoff could answer, Ryder jumped in. "Their plain cheeseburger is really good, although I love the one with the fried egg."

"Only you think that's good," Honeymaren said with a grimace.

"Clearly not, if it's on the menu," Ryder said, before turning back to Anna. "But seriously, everything here is really good, so you should get whatever sounds the best to you."

Anna nodded with a small smile, and looked to Kristoff.

"Ryder's right," he said, glad that things were going so well. It continued as they ordered and fell into conversation. Anna mostly sat and listened at first as they talked of mutual friends and acquaintances, although they all tried to include her in the conversation and she opened up more.

Their food arrived after too long, and Anna stared at the cheeseburger in front of her. She had declared she wanted to be adventurous and gotten the one with the fried egg like Ryder. Her eyes were wide as she took in the rather large burger and heaping of fries. "This smells amazing."

Kristoff chuckled. "It's why we come here."

"And it doesn't just smell amazing," Honeymaren said before taking a bite of her own burger.

Ryder waved his fork at her. "This one's kind of messy, so it might be easier to cut into pieces and eat with a fork."

Anna looked at Kristoff and Honeymaren, who were holding their burgers in their hands and then at Ryder who was doing the same despite the yolk that was already running down the sides.

She shook her head, and picked up the burger and took a bite. Her eyes fell closed as she chewed. "This tastes amazing. I'll have to tell the palace cook to start making these."

Ryder and Honeymaren both glanced at Kristoff, and for a moment, they were silent and Kristoff suppressed a sigh. He'd known this was a bad idea.

But then, Ryder turned to Anna and said, with a wide smile, "You should definitely do that. Also, I want a cook. Can we get one of those?"

Honeymaren snorted. "In your dreams, Ryder."

He laughed. "I guess we'll have to do with Joe's."

Anna followed the exchange as she ate, a happy smile on her face. "Joe is an amazing cook, I don't blame you."

"You are right there," Ryder said with a happy sigh before taking another bite.

Kristoff looked at the group and sent a silent thanks to both Ryder and Honeymaren for being so accepting. This just might not be so bad.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa learns more about this new land, and Hans makes a deal.

Elsa kept her head down as she walked, like everyone else. 

"Can you tell me the time?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know--" Elsa looked up as she spoke, her words dying in her mouth as she looked at the hooded man in front of her, a knife in his hand, pointed at her. 

"Give me your bag," he said, stepping towards and getting into her space. 

She knew if she gave it to him that any chance she had of finding Anna was gone. She would not let that happen. Her hands flew up, blasting him with ice. 

She heard the knife clatter to the ground as the man cried out in pain, his hands flying to his face. 

She looked around to see that only a few of the people on the street had noticed anything, but they looked startled, eyes wide and mouths open. 

Glancing back to see her attacker still dealing with the ice in his eyes, she held her back tightly to her chest and ran. Several blocks away, chest heaving, she slowed her run to a walk and tried to blend in. She needed a lower profile, and she couldn't use her powers again unless it was absolutely necessary. 

She spotted a small shop advertising food and drink up the block. She needed to get food and find a place to stay, this was a place to start. 

Elsa walked into the little shop, still rattled from her encounter, the bell above the door ringing as she walked in. 

The person behind the counter looked up from one of those small devices to give her a bored look before dropping their gaze again. 

It was a far cry from how she was treated while shopping in Arendelle, but she wasn’t queen here. This was better than being noticed. She needed to get Anna and Hans and get back home without drawing too much attention. 

The prices for the snacks and beverages in the shop seemed high, but this was foreign currency and she had no idea as to the exchange rate. She glanced in her bag and hoped that the gold and jewels she had packed would be enough. 

She walked up to the counter with her purchases. The woman behind the counter--whose name tag said ‘Jean’--started putting each item under a machine that flashed red and beeped each time. Elsa tried not to look too fascinated. 

“That will be $25.57,” Jean said, her tone as bored as her expression. 

Elsa didn’t know exactly how much that was in the gold coins she had brought, but pulled out a stack and put them on the counter. “Will that be enough?”

Jean’s eyes widened. “We only accept cards and cash.” 

Elsa didn’t know what kind of currency exactly that she was talking about and began taking the coins back. 

“Where are you from?” Jean asked as Elsa dropped the coins in her bag. 

“What do you mean?” Had she been found out already? Was this woman going to try and stop her from finding Anna?

Jean shrugged. “Your accent. Are you from Sweden or something? Do they not have paper money in Sweden?” 

Elsa nodded, relief flooding through her. “Yeah, I’m from Sweden and this is how we pay for things,” she said, holding up her bag and thickening her accent. 

“I didn’t know that Sweden didn’t use paper money,” Jean said, sounding awed and shaking her head. “You learn something new every day.” She then looked down at the small pile of food, tension in the line of her shoulders. “I can’t sell you these, but if you want, there’s a bank across the street and a pawn shop a couple blocks down that may be able to give you cash for that.”

Elsa nodded again. A bank wouldn’t accept her gold and jewels, but a pawn shop might. That was her best bet. “Thank you so much,” she said as she headed towards the door. 

Jean waved, seeming much more engaged as Elsa left. She heard her ask the next customer if they knew that Sweden didn’t use paper money and Elsa quickened her steps. 

She walked into the pawn shop, heartened at the large sign out front screaming "We buy gold." Hopefully this would get her what she needed. 

"How can I help you?" A tall, gruff man asked from behind the counter. 

Elsa squared her shoulders and put on her best Queen look as she set her bag on the counter. "I would like to sell some gold and jewels, please." 

The man nodded, gesturing for her to bring them forward. She emptied her bag of the valuables and it was no small pile of gold coins and many precious jewels, some of it jewelry from the treasury. 

She hadn't been sure where they were going and wanted options of ways to pay for things. She would trade it all away if it meant she could get her sister back. He picked up a gold coin and examined it closely before doing the same with several of the jewels. 

"Well?" she asked, trying to strike a balance between firm but not demanding. 

He nodded. "I can buy these. I'll give you $500 for the lot of them." 

Elsa suspected that he was lowballing her, but had no real reference for what this amount of wealth would be worth here. But she had to try for more. She wasn't sure how long this search would take. And if the prices at the shop were any indication, things ran more expensive here. 

"$700," Elsa said, using the tone and posture she wielded as a weapon in council meetings. 

The man folded his arms against his chest, but didn't seem angry. "$550." 

"$650." 

"$600, and that's the highest I'll go." 

Grateful she had been able to get something more out of him, she nodded and watched as he counted out the bills. She hadn't been sure what Jean had meant by paper money, and it was fascinating to see the bills in her hand. 

"Thank you," she said, tucking the stack of bills into her bag. She definitely couldn't lose it now. 

The man nodded, already focused on the gold and jewels he had just bought. 

Elsa walked back out onto the street and began walking, looking for a hotel. The part of town she was in seemed less well kept from where she had been earlier, but hoped that meant any lodging would be less expensive, if more dangerous.

She stopped by a sandwich shop as she walked, her growling stomach grateful for the dinner. She ate as she walked, not wanting to waste any more time inside the small shop. 

She had just been about to turn down a street to look in a different direction when she saw a brightly lit sign for a hotel. 

She sighed, grateful she didn't have to walk anymore. After handing over more of the green paper than she wanted, but less than she had been worried might be necessary, she settled into her room. 

She wanted to be out there looking for Anna, everything inside her screamed at her to get out there and look, but she was in a strange land, with no idea where to start next. 

She would get a good night's rest and start fresh early tomorrow. She just hoped that Anna was somewhere nicer than this hotel. 

She thought about Anna and how far they had gotten in the years since their parent's death. They had grown so apart after she had hurt Anna with her powers when they were children. 

Their parents had meant well, but Elsa had come to terms with the fact that they had actually made things worse by making her afraid of her powers. When had secrets and concealing how you felt ever solved a situation? 

She still loved them, but wished they had gone about things differently. It had all come to a head the year after their deaths. Her secret had come out, and Anna had gone after when she tried to run. 

Through a halting conversation, they had begun to understand the other and why they'd become so estranged. They were closer now than ever, which Elsa appreciated with all her responsibilities as Queen, and she couldn't imagine never seeing her again. She refused to let that happen. They would be back together soon. Elsa would make sure of that. 

\-----------

Hans sat down at a table in the corner of the dimly lit bar. He sat back and waited, knowing he was a little early for this appointment. 

He ordered a beer from the waitress and kept his head down. No one knew him here, but he didn't want to draw any attention. A shadow passed by his table and he looked up to see the man he had been waiting for. 

They had never met, but he had been given a description and it fit this man down to the coat he was wearing. 

"Hans?" the man asked, his voice rough and low. Hans nodded and gestured for the man to sit. 

"Thank you for meeting me here." Hans pulled a fat manila envelope from where it had been sitting on his lap. 

"I've got all the information in here, as requested, along with your fee. She's staying at some dump by the river," he said, feeling some relish as he imagined Queen Elsa in a seedy hotel. 

The man took the envelope and looked through it quickly, making sure to keep its contents hidden from the bar's other patrons. "Everything looks good. But if I find out you're cheating me somehow, you'll regret it." 

Hans held out his hands in easy, relaxed surrender. "Believe me, it's all there. I want this to succeed and you were recommended to me as the best." 

The man nodded, as he closed the envelope. "You'll be hearing from me if anything goes wrong." 

"When are you going to do it? I need to go get her sister, but only after she's dead."

The man nodded. "I can do it tomorrow, shouldn't be a problem."

"You should be careful," Hans said as he took a sip of his beer. "She's dangerous." 

The man chuckled. "I'm sure she's nothing I can't handle." 

Hans' expression turned hard. "As I said, I want this to succeed. She's not to be underestimated." 

The man studied Hans for a moment. "I'll keep that in mind." 

"Please do." 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kristoff and Anna go for a walk to see the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late, I got my days mixed up. The holiday at the beginning of the week threw me off. :)

Anna had asked to see the city. Kristoff suspected she was getting bored inside the house. Bored and something else, something heavier at the back of her expression. Sven needed a walk, and Kristoff didn't mind having Anna tag along.

She was practically bouncing with energy as they walked away from the house.

"What do you want to see?" he asked as he led them down the direction that would lead to the most options.

She shrugged, her smile wide and easy. "I don't know. This world is so new, I want to see everything."

_World_. Sometimes Kristoff forgot that Anna had a different view of reality. She came across as so normal, and then she would say something that would remind him that she thought she was a princess who came from a magical, fairy tale world.

He forced a smile. "There's usually some buskers--that is, musicians playing--a little closer to the main city. I could take you there, and we'd see a lot of the city on the way. It's a bit of a walk, though."

"Don't worry, I can do it," she said, with confidence.

Kristoff glanced down at the shoes she was wearing. She might be wearing his sister's slightly too big clothes, but those shoes were sparkly sneakers and looked like his oldest niece’s.

"Are those Kaylee's?" he asked, with a laugh.

Anna looked down at her shoes and blushed. "Yeah, my feet are too small for any of your sister's or mother's shoes, so I had to borrow these." She held up one foot and turned it, watching as it sparkled in the light. "I like them though. I wish I had a pair like it back home."

"Maybe you can get some when you get back," he suggested, leading them down a street that would take them to one of the main drags.

Anna lit up at the thought. "I'm sure Elsa would love a pair too. Her dresses always have sparkles now."

Kristoff tried to imagine royalty wearing sparkles at an event that wasn't an awards show or something like that and couldn't quite picture it. The British royals always seemed so proper. Not that he really paid attention, but his ma had loved both weddings.

He also couldn't quite picture sequins or glitter on the kind of dress Anna had been wearing when she arrived. But he'd never been one for understanding women's fashion. Maybe the queen--Kristoff shook his head. There was no queen. He needed to not get caught up in Anna's story. She might believe it, but it wasn't true.

Needing a distraction, he asked Anna a question about what else she wanted to see, and she was off, talking quickly, her hands moving wildly as she talked about what she had seen when she arrived and what she hoped to see before she left.

It wasn't a short walk, but with a chatty walking companion, it seemed much shorter than normal and before too long they had arrived at the spot where he always saw musicians play. They were all over the city, but this plaza was a particularly popular spot.

Sure enough, there was someone playing guitar as another person accompanied them, playing some sort of slow, indie rock song. Anna practically ran over to the musicians, hands clasped together in delight.

He walked slowly over to her and she turned to him, smile wide.

"Dance with me," she said, holding a hand out.

Kristoff looked around at all the people going about their day, and knew he would not be walking on the sidewalk. Absolutely not. He shook his head. "Sorry," he said. "I don't dance."

Her smile fell and her hand fell to her side. "What do you mean you don't dance?"

He shrugged. "I don't dance."

She let out a sigh and turned back to watch the musicians. Kristoff felt guilt and shame creep into his chest. He wasn't going to change his mind, but there was something about the look on her face when he'd said no that he regretted.

He watched her sway to the music, a song that his siblings sometimes listened to and that he'd heard on the radio once or twice.

She should have known better than to ask to dance in the middle of the sidewalk. He wasn't wrong for saying no. He believed that, but he didn't quite feel it.

As the song ended, Anna turned to him, and gestured for them to keep walking. Her cheeriness had returned, but he couldn't push down the idea that he had screwed up.

* * *

Later that night, Kristoff crept slowly down the stairs, stepping over the stair that creaked. He only wanted a glass of water, and didn't want to wake up Anna on his way to the kitchen. His ma had stopped sleeping downstairs once they realized Anna wasn't a threat, so he didn't have to worry about bothering her.

He had just filled his glass when a small voice interrupted the silence.

"Kristoff?"

He looked over to see Anna curled up in a ball on the sofa, the comforter wrapped around her. He winced. "I'm sorry," he said, softly, moving into the living room so she could hear him. "I didn't mean to wake you."

She shook her head. "You didn't wake me."

"Can't sleep?" he asked before taking a sip of his water. He stayed at the edge of the living room, the end of the couch between them. They had gotten to know each other better, but it had still only been a few days, and Kristoff was aware of the fact that he was a big guy and it was late at night. He didn't want to make her nervous.

She sighed. "I can't stop my brain from thinking."

"I'm sorry," he said, wondering what could be keeping her up.

She beat him to asking. "I just can't stop thinking about Elsa and Hans and wondering what they're thinking and feeling and if I'm ever going to see them again." Her voice took on a tremulous edge and he knew the tears would start falling soon.

He walked slowly closer to her, keeping his voice soft. "Hey, we'll get you home, alright?" He wasn't sure he could actually make good on that promise, since they didn't really know where home was or if Elsa or Hans were real, but in that moment, he just wanted her to not sound so sad.

"You think so?" she asked, wiping at her eyes.

He nodded, and hoped he wasn't going to regret this conversation later.

"I just want to go home," she said, sounding miserable.

"I know," he said, setting his glass on the side table and sitting on the edge of the couch farthest from her.

Anna looked up at him, her features illuminated by the moon coming in through the window. "You know what might help?" she asked, her voice sounding especially small.

"What?" Kristoff had only known this girl for a few days, but he knew that in this moment, he do whatever it was she asked. He wasn't sure if it was the moonlight or the hour or just her but he wouldn't be able to say no to her a second time tonight.

"Would you sing for me?" she asked, not giving him time to answer before she was barreling forward. "I mean, my mother used to sing to us to help us fall asleep and I know it's silly, but I think it would help, and I heard you humming earlier and it sounded really nice--"

"Hey, it's okay," he said, interrupting her rambling. "I can't speak to my talent, but I can sing something if that will help." He hadn't sung in front of anyone that wasn't Sven or one of his younger siblings in a long time, and he tried to remember a song that wasn't one of the stupid little ditties he would make up for the kids’ or Sven's enjoyment.

"My ma used to sing to me when I was little too," he said, softly, smiling at the memory. "I don't know what your mom sang, but my ma's favorite was Moon River. She's a huge Audrey Hepburn fan."

Anna didn't show any recognition at the reference, but smiled at him. "I'd love to hear it."

He took a deep breath, and looked down at his hands, not wanting to look at her while he sang. " _Moon river, wider than a mile..."_ It wasn't a long song, and he was through it quickly, possibly rushing a little because of his nerves. The last note hung in the air as he finished, and he still couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"Oh, Kristoff, that was beautiful," Anna said, her voice full of awe.

Kristoff looked up at her then, blushing. "Thanks. Did it help?"

Anna looked thoughtful. "I think it might take one more," she said, looking at him hopefully.

He chuckled. "Alright, but we're going to do this right." He stood and gestured for her to get up. "You can't fall asleep in a blanket burrito. Let me tuck you in."

She let him get her settled, and looked so small on the overstuffed couch.

He settled himself next to her on the couch, hoping he wasn't too close. "Close your eyes," he said, as he thought through what to sing next. She obeyed without a word, a soft smile tugging at her lips. A song popped into his head, and he smiled at the memory of his mom singing. She really had a thing for the classics. _"Stay awake, don’t rest your head...."_

He made it through two more slow showtunes--more favorites of his ma's--before her breathing evened out. He got up quietly, picked up his water glass and with one glance behind him into the living room, made his way upstairs.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa has a run in with someone she wasn't expecting, and gets some answers.

Elsa felt the man following her before she saw him. She forced herself to remain calm, but her hands were ready at her sides. She was coming up on an alley, and walked down it as if she was just looking for a shortcut.

Once she heard him follow her down the narrow path, she turned, ice flying out of her fingertips to stop at a point right in front of the man's face.

"Why are you following me?" she asked, wondering if he would just run. His eyes widened at the display of power, clearly thrown off by her magic.

The man swallowed as the sharp end of the ice moved closer to his face. "Someone wants you dead."

Elsa stopped the ice’s movement, but kept her hands up. "Who?"

The man didn't answer, instead pulling a small, foreign looking gun out of his coat. He aimed it at Elsa and she ducked, looking around her for cover. She shot ice at him again, this time not stopping it from hitting him and ran for the large dumpster further down the alley. He took a shot at her, and she could hear the bullet hitting the brick wall of the alley.

She leaned out from around the dumpster and fired several razor sharp icicles at him, one sliced through his arm another his leg, but he kept walking towards her.

She knew who was behind this, and she had a pretty good idea why, but she hadn't thought him this horrible. Power grabbing, yes, but hiring an assassin? She hadn't seen it coming.

"How much is he paying you?" she asked before shooting another spray of icicles at him.

He grunted in pain, another icicle hitting its target, this time his shoulder.

"Enough to deal with you. He’d said you were dangerous," he said, his teeth clenched together. She knew this man wouldn't stop until he'd completed his objective. She would have to stop him before he killed her. She didn't want to go to the authorities, couldn't afford to have anyone stop her from finding Anna, but she didn't think she could kill this man either. If it came to it, yes, but she didn't want to go that far today.

She turned her projectiles small and blunt and aimed for his face. If she could stop him, she could restrain him and leave him anonymously for this world's legal system.

She hurled the pellets at him, at a high enough speed to stop him from shooting at her, but not enough to do real damage. He cried out in pain, his gun lowering as he raised his other arm to protect his face. She threw sharper projectiles this time, aimed for his arms and hands, hoping to hurt him enough to make it so he couldn't shoot at her accurately.

She ran closer, and used her ice to push him up against the alley wall, her ice trapping him against it. He struggled for a moment, until he realized it was useless.

“Where is he?” Elsa asked, brandishing a frozen pike.

The man swallowed again and shook his head. “I can’t tell you that.”

“Because you don’t know or because you told him you wouldn’t?” Elsa asked, walking closer, the end of the pike aimed at his forehead.

“Do you know what would happen to my reputation if I told you? I can’t,” he said, shaking his head again and trying to move as far back against the wall as he could.

“I think you should be more worried about this moment,” Elsa said, her voice low and full of steel.

He remained silent as she pushed the pike forward, but as soon as it made contact with his forehead, he began to talk. “Alright, alright! I’ll tell you.”

Elsa pulled back just enough that the ice wasn’t touching him. “Where is he?”

He rattled off a hotel name along with the street corner it was on, and Elsa marked the name down in her mind.

“Do you know any of his plans?”

The man nodded. “Not much, but he mentioned going to get your sister tomorrow, after you were dead.”

_Anna_. She had to get Anna before he hurt her.

Destroying her pike, she ran out of the alley. "There's a man, a frozen man with a gun!" The yelling started then, and Elsa slipped away in the pandemonium.

She didn’t know the city well, but she had recognized the streets he had mentioned, and it couldn’t be that hard to find the hotel from there.

It took her less than an hour to walk to the hotel. She was tired, not used to all this walking in addition to the fatigue from her fight with the assassin. She pushed a lock of hair back on her forehead and took in a deep breath as she sat down at an outdoor seat at the cafe next to the hotel.

It didn’t matter how tired she was. She was going to end this and make sure her sister was safe.

She ordered a hot chocolate as a reason to stay where she was, and felt a pang of emotion as she thought of Anna and how much she loved chocolate. She would have loved this little cafe. Had she gotten to see much of the city? Or was she not safe enough to do so?

Elsa sipped her hot chocolate and kept her gaze on the hotel entrance.

Half an hour later, she was rewarded when Hans stepped out of a taxi and walked up to the hotel. She held up her menu, hoping to block herself from catching his eye. He didn’t even glance in her direction. He was dressed in a sharp suit, of the kind of style that fit in this place. This hotel was clearly very high end. Where was he getting that kind of money?

The hotel Elsa was staying at was nowhere near as nice, and she hadn’t had to worry about clothes because of her powers, but she could tell from here that his suit was high quality. Besides the fact that he had tried to have her killed, there was more here than Elsa fully understood.

Anna was her first priority, but after that, she was going to get some answers.

* * *

Hans strode into the hotel, his head held high. He felt powerful walking into this hotel, wearing his newly tailored suit. Both came with money, which seemed to hold the power in this world. It did as well back home, but there were other ways to hold power besides being wealthy. A title was necessary as well. That was what he was missing here. He might be rich, but it wasn't the kind of power he was looking for.

He still needed to go get Anna, but his heart felt lighter knowing that Elsa would be out of the way. He glanced at the shining watch on his wrist. It was very possible that she was already dead and he couldn't stop the grin that made it way onto his mouth at that thought. One step closer. He just needed to find Anna and return to Arendelle. And his contacts in this world had already found where she was staying.

With some poor young man and his parents. Anna would be happy to see him regardless, but given where he knew she had been staying, she might just kiss him out of gratitude. He didn't want that kind of affection, but he would accept it and give it if it was what he needed to convince Anna and the others that he was the charming prince they were looking for.

He made his way to the elevator. His room was on too high a floor for him to take the stairs, and he enjoyed the technology and inventions of this world. If he could have the power he was looking for, he would just stay here, but he wanted a throne and this world couldn't give him that. At least, not as easily as he could take it in Arendelle.

The elevator dinged as it reached his floor and he stepped out, nodding at a man wearing a suit similar to his who walked onto the elevator. Respect. That's what he was missing back home and what he would have once he married Anna. One more 'accident' and he would be the true ruler of Arendelle and his brothers would see what kind of man he really was. Just how powerful he was and they would regret picking on him and excluding him all those years.

He walked into his room and moved to the closet. Tomorrow was an important day and he needed to be well dressed for it. As much as he liked the fashion of this world, he needed something else. At the back of the closet, hung the suit he had worn to the ball. It was what Anna had last seen him in, and gave off the image of the kind of prince she wanted. He would play that part as long as he needed, and it would all continue tomorrow.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anna and Kristoff go for a walk and he gets caught up in the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting a few hours early to make up for being late this week. Also, I love this chapter, so there's that. :)

His ma had shooed them out of the house after dinner. “It’s too nice a night to not go for a walk,” she said, with a smile. Kristoff knew she was up to something, and what that something was, but the idea of spending more time with Anna was exactly what he wanted to do, so he didn’t fight it. 

They walked along slowly, Anna pointing out things she liked, and Kristoff had to hold his hands at his sides to stop from trying to slip his hand into hers. 

"Oh, that's so sweet," Anna said, pointing at the group of people dancing in front of the band set up further in a small park. The band was playing something slow, and as the sun set, it made for a very romantic scene. He waited for her to ask to dance, but as he looked back at her, she was just watching the couples dancing, not saying anything. 

He looked back at the group of dancers, and back at Anna. He wanted that. He wanted to hold her close and know that she was his. But she wasn't and never would be. But he could have this, and then when she was gone, he could remember and hope she was happy with her prince. 

"Hey," he said, bumping her arm gently with his.

"What is it?" she asked, tearing her gaze away from the dancing, looking up at his curiously. 

He gestured towards the dancers. _This shouldn't be so hard_ , he thought as he tried to come up with the words. "Do you wanna dance?" 

Her mouth opened in surprise, before she looked up at him with a confused smile. "I thought you didn't dance." 

He shrugged, not quite meeting her eyes. "Yeah, well, I figured I owed you one, before you left."

He held his hand out and looked down at her properly, hoping she wouldn't say no, already working how to laugh it off if she did. 

"I would love to," she said, placing her hand softly in his. 

They walked out towards the band hands clasped gently together, and Kristoff's heart was hammering away in his chest. Why had he thought this was a good idea? He wasn't a good dancer. He knew how, his ma made sure of that, but he hadn't really slow danced in years. He looked up at the other dancers, who were mostly doing a slow shuffle. He could manage that. Hold her close and just move. 

They reached the other couples, and a few smiled at them as they got into position. He hadn't thought his hand, so large against her small waist would feel so good there, like it fit. He pulled her in closer, but not so close she might get uncomfortable, and began to shuffle around. 

"This isn't the kind of dancing we usually do at the palace," Anna said, without any judgement, just an observation accompanied by a sweet smile. 

"Oh, really? Probably more proper and fancier than dancing in a park." 

She nodded. "Yeah, but I think I like this better," she said, looking up at him, her expression serious and just a little nervous. 

"Really?" he asked, huffing out a laugh. "This is better than a castle?"

"Castle's can be....confining," she said, looking away and he knew that whatever she was seeing wasn't the park or the sunset. "Nothing like this." 

He pulled her in just a little bit closer, before he had an idea. "Can I twirl you?" he asked softly, knowing how his sisters all loved it when guys twirled them in a slow dance. They had gushed about it one day in the kitchen, and while he hadn't thought he had tucked that piece of knowledge away for the future, he found it pushing to the forefront of his mind. He wanted that for her. He wanted to give that to her. Something sweet, and romantic and maybe, just maybe, she might remember him fondly when she went back home. 

She looked up at him with a wide smile. "Oh, yes, please." 

Without giving himself time to overthink it, he twirled her away from him, watching with a soft smile as her skirt flew out around her. When he pulled her back to him, she was even closer than before, and grinning against his chest. 

"That good, huh?" he asked, as she looked up at him, that grin still wide across her lips. 

She nodded. "That's my favorite part, but when there are balls at the palace, everything's so scheduled and planned out. You don't just twirl for fun, you twirl because the next steps tell you to. I'd rather have this." 

Kristoff sucked in a breath and wondered if she heard how that sounded. She'd rather have this, rather have...him? He couldn't believe he was really thinking of that. They had just met, and he wasn't completely sure she had a firm grasp on reality yet. What if they were just hurtling towards heartbreak? Kristoff had never been in love before, but he didn't think it was supposed to happen this fast. 

But as she moved in closer and rested her head against his chest, he thought that while it might not be love just yet, that it was heading there quickly. And if this would only end in pain, he thought it might just be worth it for moments like this. 

The song ended, and the band started up a much quicker song to cheers and hoots from the crowd. Kristoff and Anna jumped apart at the noise, and Kristoff felt his cheeks warm. "I guess we should go?" he said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Anna looked at the crowd, who had started dancing to the faster song, all loose limbs and wide smiles. "Could we stay for just a little longer? We definitely don't get this kind of dancing in Arendelle." 

"Sure, whatever you want," he said, and he knew that he meant every word. He was lost, and whatever she wanted, he would do his best to give her.

If he wasn't much of a slow dancer, he definitely wasn't much of a fast dancer, but no one was really paying attention to anyone outside of their own group, and if it made her happy, he'd gladly do it. She danced around wildly, giving herself over to the beat, not falling into the same dance styles Kristoff couldn't help but find himself copying. She just looked so happy and carefree, the fading sun shining against her hair, he never wanted it to end. 

They danced through the next song, another fast number, before the band began playing something slow. 

Anna looked up at him, a question in her eyes. "Will you dance with me?"

Kristoff nodded, this was already more than he had hoped for and he would take whatever she was willing to give him. They got into position, Kristoff once again holding her close to him as they swayed to the music. 

Dusk had begun, and decorative lights around the park lit up to keep the darkness away, but the lights were soft, intimate. They didn't talk as they danced, simply looked at each other, and Kristoff didn't know what she was thinking, but he knew he wanted this for them always. Why did she have to leave? She could stay with him, couldn't she?

The music swelled on a particularly romantic note, and he looked down to see Anna's eyes flick to his lips and he couldn't stop his eyes from going to her mouth.

"Anna," he said, murmuring her name as she pushed up on her toes and he leaned down a fraction. There was a reason he shouldn't do this, but he couldn't think of it right now. Just as their lips were about to touch, the music stopped, and the lead singer spoke into the microphone. "That's all for us, folks, thank you for listening." 

Anna jumped at the voice, dropping her hands and pulling back and he followed suit. What had he been thinking? He couldn't kiss her. She was engaged to someone who was definitely not him. 

"We should probably get going," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ma will be getting worried if we're out too long after dark." 

Anna nodded, not meeting his eyes. "Yeah, that's a good idea." She cleared her throat. "Thank you for dancing with me. It was nice." 

"No problem," he said, and meant it. He would do anything for her. 

They walked back slowly, and Anna kept up a steady stream of chatter, although there was that nervous, rambling energy to it. Why had he tried to kiss her? She didn't want him. She was in love with someone else. If she had been about to kiss him, she was just caught up in the moment, the music. That was all. 

They arrived back at the house in a few, short minutes. 

"How was your walk?" his ma asked as she folded laundry. 

Anna began telling her about the dancing and the band, and she smiled while Anna told it, but Kristoff saw her sneak a glance in his direction with a concerned frown on her face. His ma really did see too much. 

Anna yawned wide as she finished her story. "I think I'm going to get ready for bed," she said, walking out of the room. "Night," she called behind her as she left for the bathroom. 

"What happened?" his ma asked, turning to him, hands on her hips. 

"Why do you think something happened?" he asked, not quite meeting her gaze. 

She shot him a look. "Don't give me that. She was nervous and you look guilty." 

Kristoff sighed and shut his eyes tightly. Opening them again, he looked at his ma. "We danced, like she said, but the last slow dance, it was getting dark and the music just added to the feeling and I got caught up in it, I guess. I almost kissed her."

She looked at him with pity in her eyes and he hated seeing it. He felt so stupid and unworthy. Why had he ever thought asking her to dance would be a good idea?

“What did Anna say?” 

He shook his head. “She didn’t say anything, but it almost seemed like she would welcome it, but that was just my imagination.” 

"It's hard isn't it?" she asked, walking over to put her hand on his arm. 

"What?" he asked, knowing she saw everything, his pain, his insecurity. 

"Loving someone who loves someone else." 

Kristoff huffed out a breath. "I don't know that I would call it love exactly, but I want to see if it could be someday. I don't want her to go," he said, his voice hushed to keep it from breaking. 

"Oh, baby, I know, I want her to stay too. And she would be so lucky to have you. It's not because you're not good enough," she said, staring him firmly in the eyes. "Sometimes we just don't get there first. Sometimes people just don’t feel the same." 

Kristoff shut his eyes against the tears he could feel welling up. "When will it stop hurting?" he asked, opening his eyes, still as wet as when he closed them. 

She shook her head. "I can't answer that for you, but it won't hurt forever." Kristoff knew she was right. Knew it wasn't even love so how could it be that bad? But in that moment, he felt like his heart was breaking and he didn't see how it could ever be put back together. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visitor arrives at Kristoff's parents' house.

Kristoff woke up and the previous night’s events came rushing back to him. He pressed his hands into his face and groaned. He needed to go downstairs, to see how she was feeling. Was she still nervous around him? He could be just her friend. He wouldn’t push again and would apologize for it so she knew she was safe. That was the most important part. That she know she was safe. 

He rolled over and realized that he could smell breakfast cooking. While he missed his own bed and apartment, there was something to staying with his parents and being around family again. Not to mention being closer to Anna.

Loud voices rose from downstairs, including a male voice he didn't recognize. He couldn't really make out what they were saying, but there was some kind of commotion downstairs, and without thinking, he threw off the covers and bolted out the bedroom door and down the stairs.

"Is everything alright?" he asked as he came into the kitchen, where all the noise was coming from. He stopped in the doorway as everyone--his parents, two of his siblings, Anna, and a red haired man he'd never met--turned to face him. The man was dressed in an old timey suit, that looked like it matched the dress he had found Anna in. Matched much better than the ratty pajamas he was currently wearing.

The man was holding Anna's hand and she was looking between the two of them, an unsure look on her face. When she noticed Kristoff looking at her, she smiled brightly and gestured towards the unfamiliar man. 

"Kristoff, this is Hans, my fiance. He came all the way from Arendelle to find me." She was smiling and looked happy, but there was something about her expression that looked off. Or maybe he was just so far gone, that he was looking for reasons for her not to leave him. She had gotten what she wanted, the least he could do was be happy for her. 

"That's so great, Anna," he said, moving further into the kitchen, pretending he was dressed better than he was, that his parents house was any kind of place for a prince. "I'm so glad you were able to find her," he said, turning to Hans. "We weren't sure how to get her back to you guys." 

The man turned to Kristoff and actually bowed. Despite spending the past couple of weeks with Anna, this kind of behavior still surprised him. As he pulled back up to his full height, he spoke. "You have my utmost gratitude for keeping my love safe while I searched for her. Thank you." Hans' tone and words were all sincere and grateful, but there was something in his expression Kristoff didn't like. He'd seen it from rich guys who thought they were better than him just because he did blue collar work and didn't come from money. Kristoff glanced back at Anna who was looking at Hans with a relieved smile and he mentally shook himself. 

What was he doing? Anna had found her happily ever after and he wouldn't stand in the way. He forced a smile and turned his attention back to Hans. "We're just glad to have been able to help." 

"She's been lovely to have as a guest," his ma said, as she handed a plate of pancakes and a plate of bacon to his dad. "You must stay for breakfast, I insist." 

Hans shook his head. "Thank you for the generous offer, but we must get going." 

Anna looked disappointed, but nodded. "Elsa must be worried about me," she said looking between Kristoff and his parents with an apologetic look. 

"Oh, Anna," Hans said, with a heavy sigh. 

Kristoff's heart dropped to his stomach.

"What is it?" Anna asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. 

"I wasn't sure how to tell you this," Hans said, his voice hesitant and soft. "Elsa came with me, but we ran into some trouble. She...she didn't make it." 

Anna's eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth. "What? No, that can't be, she's stronger than that. How could she....no...." Anna's knees buckled and Hans moved forward to catch her as she collapsed. She clutched onto his lapels, sobbing against his chest. 

Kristoff could make out Elsa's name and a few other words, but mostly it was unintelligible sobbing and Kristoff's heart broke at the sight. He wanted to go over to her and wrap her in his arms and help her through this, but that wasn't his job anymore. Not that it had ever been his job. He had just been a placeholder while Hans figured out where they were. 

Hans looked up at them. "We really do need to get going. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can make funeral preparations and she can start healing." 

Kristoff couldn't believe Hans could be so callous. Couldn't he let her cry for a minute at least? But then he looked on as the other man held Anna, and he chastised himself for being so judgmental. Hans was who she needed now. 

"Well, you can't go before you get some breakfast in you," his ma said, walking over to them, her voice firm, but soft. "I'll help Anna get cleaned up and ready to go." 

Hans looked ready to protest, but Anna went willingly with his ma and he kept his mouth closed. 

Kristoff helped his dad get everything onto the table, and set an extra place for Hans. He seemed like a nice guy, although he clearly wasn't happy to be stuck having breakfast in a stranger's house, but he wasn't saying anything rude, so Kristoff counted that as a win. 

His dad called all the kids down for breakfast and Hans seemed surprised by how many children were suddenly in the kitchen, all talking at once and moving over and around each other to grab food, even though he'd seen how many plates had been set. Kristoff guessed that even though Hans had come from a large family, they were much more well mannered than Kristoff's family at breakfast. Well, they sounded boring. 

The kids turned their attention to the visitor and peppered Hans with questions, which he tried to answer, but he honestly looked out of his depth. 

Just as Kristoff was about to take pity on the man and intervene, Anna came back into the room with his ma. She looked pale and drawn, but had pulled herself together. 

"I'm ready," she said, addressing Hans. She turned to his ma, who had started protesting about food. "Thank you, but I really don't think I could eat anything right now." 

Hans stood up quickly and walked over to Anna. "We can leave right now." 

Anna nodded. "Let me just say goodbye first." 

Hans stepped back to give her a chance to bid everyone goodbye. She started with his parents, and then each of the kids, hugging them closely and smiling around the tears in her eyes. 

Then it was his turn, and he stood awkwardly in front of her, very aware of the fact that her fiance stood not two feet from them. "Thank you so much for everything," she said. "I'll miss you and Sven," she said, leaning down to scratch Sven behind the ears. 

Kristoff smiled, but it felt forced and stiff. "We'll miss you too," he said, not putting into words what he really wanted to say. _Please don't go. Stay with me._

She looked at him as if expecting him to say something else, but when he remained silent, she turned and slipped her arm onto Hans' and they were gone. 

"That poor girl," his ma said as she sat down to eat her own breakfast. "Losing a sister like that, so unexpected, I can only imagine what she must be feeling." 

"It's too bad we couldn't do more for her," his dad said, pouring another glass of orange juice. 

Kristoff nodded, his throat suddenly feeling tight. She really was leaving and he wouldn't be able to follow. Even if she was with someone else, he could go to the funeral as a friend, help her and support her in such a hard time. 

But he would never see her again. 

He pushed away from the table. "I'm going to get dressed," he said, his voice gruff as he avoided any eye contact and made his way upstairs. At least he could go back to living in his own apartment, and not having to be bothered with having someone in his space all the time. Even if that someone was feisty and witty and charming and beautiful and...

Kristoff blinked away tears with surprise. He had never been much of a cryer, but losing Anna would do that to him. He brushed his hand against his eyes, the tears coming faster as he made his way to the bathroom. At least in the shower, no one would hear him cry. 

After his shower, he dressed for a run. He couldn’t stay in this house any longer, not with her not in it. Everything in him was screaming at him to go after her, to help her, to pull her in his arms and tell her it was going to be alright. 

But he couldn’t do any of that, so he would burn this anxious energy with a run with Sven. And he wouldn’t come back until he was so tired, he could take a nap and forget for a bit. 

“Going for a run?” his ma asked as he walked into the kitchen with Sven’s leash. 

He nodded. “Yeah, I need to do something,” he said, not wanting to meet her eyes and see the pity there.

“I understand, baby,” she said, walking over to give him a hug. “We miss her too.” Her tone let him know that she saw more than he wanted her to. 

“Thanks, ma,” he said, hugging her back tightly. 

He clipped the leash on Sven, and walked over to the door, pulling it open. 

Standing on the front step was a young woman who looked remarkably like Anna, although her coloring wasn't the same, her hair a light blonde. She was holding her hand up in a loose fist as if she was about to knock. There was no question who she was. 

“Elsa?”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa and Kristoff try to find Anna.

Elsa sat at the same cafe the morning after finding Hans, and waited. He was going to go for Anna today, she knew and she would be there to stop it.

She had gotten up early, and had only had to wait a couple of hours before Hans came out of the hotel. He was wearing the suit he had been wearing at the ball, and it was a shock after spending the past while in this new city.

He waved an arm out for a taxi, and got in it. As he did so, Elsa ran towards the hotel and hailed a nearby taxi.

“Where to?” the driver asked, looking back at her.

“Follow that taxi, quickly,” Elsa said, not taking her eyes off the other cab.

The driver nodded and sped off. They drove through busy streets, and almost lost the other car a couple of times, but her driver was clearly skilled.

After driving through the main part of the city, they began to drive down smaller, residential streets.

“When he stops,” Elsa said, scooting down in her seat so as not to be seen, “just keep going. I don’t want him to know we were following him.”

The driver nodded and continued at a slower pace behind Hans’ taxi.

The other car stopped in front of a small house and pulled over. Elsa hunched down so that she couldn’t be seen through the window. “Turn down a side street and pull over there,” Elsa said, still not sitting up until she felt the car turn.

“Thank you,” she said as the driver pulled over away from the house. “How much do I owe you?”

He named a price, and she reached into her bag and pulled out the amount, plus a little extra for his driving. “Thank you again,” she said, before slipping out of the car.

It drove away and Elsa walked slowly towards the house. Hans must have already gone inside. She would wait, if there was a chance Anna was in there. It was a friendly looking house and she hoped that meant the people inside were the same. If these were the people who had found Anna, Elsa felt a sense of relief knowing Anna might be safe.

She waited behind a tall hedge and before too long, Hans stepped out of the house, Anna right behind him.

Elsa wanted to run forward, grab her sister and get her to safety, but she had to be smart about this. She raised her hands to get Hans out of the way, when Anna stepped directly in front of him. Elsa hissed out a curse as they both got into the waiting taxi. She had missed her shot.

She waited for the taxi to drive down the street, before she followed at a run. She shot out ice in front of her, able to move faster on the ice than just the sidewalk. She had wanted to keep her powers a secret, but this was important.

As she watched the car, it turned quickly down a side street, making a squealing noise as it sped away.

Elsa shot out more ice, and made the same turn, but as she got to the other street, the taxi was gone. _Anna._

Elsa buried her face in her hands. _No._ She could feel sorry for herself later. Right now, she needed to find Anna.

The only lead she had was that house. Walking back normally, not wanting to draw attention, she walked up the front step, and raised her hand to knock.

* * *

“How do you know my name?” Elsa asked, and Kristoff opened the door wider for her to come in.

“Anna told me about you and you two look a lot alike.”

She walked into the house, before turning to Kristoff and sticking her hand out. "You're the one who found my sister. Thank you for taking care of her."

Kristoff shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, but we have to find Anna. She needs to know you're alive. She was devastated when she found out."

"It's more than that, Hans isn't what he seems," she said, looking murderous. "A man tried to kill me, and his employer was none other than my sister's fiance."

Kristoff's eyes widened. He had been right about there being something off about Hans and he had just let Anna go off with him. He should have said something, something to keep her there and safe.

"We have to go, we have to find her."

Elsa nodded. "I was hoping you could help me. I've managed by myself so far, but you know this land much better than I do."

Kristoff nodded. "I'll do whatever I need to make sure she's safe." He turned to his parents. "Can you watch Sven while we go looking? And can I borrow the car? He saw my truck out front."

His ma nodded and pulled him in for a hug. "Be safe and bring her home safely." Kristoff wasn't sure what she meant by 'home', but he nodded and turned back to Elsa. "Let's go."

They left the house immediately. "Do you know how to get back to your world?" Kristoff asked as they got into the car.

Elsa nodded. "I think so, we came out of the underground during the day, so I think I could find my way back there. I think people called it Time's Square?"

Kristoff huffed out a breath. "That won't make getting to the manhole easy, but that also means that Hans and Anna will have a harder time. Anna couldn't remember where she had come through, so we couldn't get her back. I assume Hans knows?"

"He has to," Elsa said, with a shake of her head. "He's cunning. There's no way he wouldn't have made sure he could get back after I was gone."

Kristoff's brow furrowed as a thought occurred to him. "How did you stop the guy from killing you? I mean, no offense, but you're tiny and I can't imagine queens are too versed in self defense."

Elsa smiled. "Oh, most queens don't have my advantage." she flicked her hand towards the dashboard and a sheen of ice began spreading across it.

Kristoff stared at it, before remembering he was driving and forced his gaze back on the road. "Please tell me that is some kind of trick."

Elsa shook her head. "Sorry, it's real."

"Magic isn't real." Kristoff said, his mind reeling. There had been too many bombs dropped today.

"Anna came from another realm and you don't believe in magic?" Elsa said with a smirk.

"Well, I had only just begun to believe that she wasn't just delusional," he said, sounding sheepish.

Elsa sighed. "I understand. This world is very different from ours. Although, magic isn't very common in ours either. I had been wondering who had enchanted the well to make it a portal to this world, but I wonder now if Hans had been behind that too. Or perhaps he's just opportunistic."

"Either way, we have to stop him." Kristoff said, thinking through their options. "Traffic is still going to be a nightmare at Time's Square. Getting to that manhole is going to be tricky."

"It was cordoned off when we went through, do you think it still could be?" Elsa asked, sounding worried.

Kristoff hadn't been down there in forever, but he doubted they would have kept it roped off for long. Traffic was too busy in that part of town, and they wouldn't have wanted to deal with the slow downs. He shook his head. "It's possible, but I don't think so. They won't have been able to get back, if that's the case."

"He'll have holed out somewhere near the portal," Elsa said, her hand waving mindlessly back and forth, a small flurry erupting from her fingertips. Kristoff had to remind himself to keep his eyes on the road.

"Unless Anna wanted to show him the city," Kristoff said with a sigh. "Would he keep his mask on until they were married and he was in power?"

Elsa hummed thoughtfully. "That's likely. He's got nothing if Anna doesn't marry him."

Kristoff let out another sigh as he remembered something. "But she also thinks you're dead. She's not going to be wanting to sight see."

He caught Elsa's frown out of the corner of her eye, could see the worry in her expression. "She'll be so happy to see you."

"I will be just as happy to see her. I just hope we can get her from Hans safely."

"Do you think he'll hurt her?" Kristoff asked, hoping she was still okay. He wouldn't hurt her before they were married, right?

Elsa shook her head. "I don't think so. Not yet. But if he feels his power is threatened? I have no idea what he'll do."

Kristoff's mouth was set in a firm line as he thought through their options. "I think this calls for reinforcements."

* * *

"What's going on, man?" Ryder asked as he and Honeymaren got in the backseat of the car. "You didn't tell us much on the phone."

"Anna's in trouble," Kristoff said, his tone short, worry coursing through him. He gestured towards Elsa. "This is Elsa, Anna's sister. Elsa, this is Ryder and his sister, Honeymaren."

Elsa turned to greet first Ryder and then Honeymaren. Her cheeks went a faint pink as she looked at Honeymaren. "It's wonderful to meet you, and I hope you can help," she said, pushing past whatever caused her to blush, her tone no nonsense. Kristoff looked between Elsa and Honeymaren for a moment. _That was interesting,_ he thought, but reminded himself not to get sidetracked. He could explore that once Anna was safe and back with them.

"Anna's fiance found her, but he tried to get Elsa killed and told Anna that he and Elsa had been attacked and that Elsa didn't make it."

Ryder and Honeymaren looked at him wide eyed, before their expressions hardened. "What do you need us to do?" Honeymaren asked, looking at her brother for a moment, both of them looking at each other in agreement.

"We need to find them before they get back to their world," Kristoff said, not even noticing how weird that sounded anymore.

"So, wait, that's real? I thought Anna was just..." Ryder trailed off at Kristoff's stern look. "But really, other worlds?"

Kristoff sighed. "I know, but it's real." He looked at Elsa and gestured towards Ryder and Honeymaren. "Can you show them?"

"You know, it's not a party trick," Elsa said, her tone and posture regal, but a small smile broke out on her lips and she waved her hands in front of her. A flurry of snowflakes burst from her fingers, and in short order, she held a rose made out of ice in her hands. She handed it to Honeymaren, who took it with wide eyes, her mouth open.

"It's not melting," she said, looking between the rose and the rest of them in shock.

Elsa smiled. "It won't."

Kristoff sent her a side eyed glance. She sounded just the tiniest bit smug, but they needed to find Anna. "Do you believe us now?”

The two nodded, eyes wide, and Kristoff started the car. "We need to find Anna. Now."


End file.
